The Los Angeles Clippers made arrangements Thursday to bring in yet another new player by reaching terms with free-agent point guard Jason Williams. Williams' agent, Bob Myers, told ESPN.com that the 32-year-old -- who spent the past three seasons with the Miami Heat and who started at point guard for Miami's title-winning team in 2006 -- has signed with the Clippers.

Financial terms were not immediately available, but NBA front-office sources said Williams is receiving a one-year contract.

Williams will thus become the ninth new player acquired by the Clippers in the wake of a disastrous 23-59 season, which was followed by Elton Brand's free-agent defection to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Williams is the third point guard to join the Clippers this summer, along with Davis and Jason Hart, who was acquired from the Utah Jazz in a July 23 trade for Brevin Knight.

The addition of Williams -- who recently attracted serious interest from Israeli giants Maccabi Tel-Aviv before Maccabi signed Orlando Magic free agent Carlos Arroyo -- all but ensures that the Clippers will not re-sign point guard Shaun Livingston. L.A. renounced its free-agent rights to the injury-plagued Livingston on July 9 to help create the requisite salary-cap space to officially sign Davis to his five-year, $65 million contract but the Clippers did have the option of trying to re-sign him.

As the report indicates, this effectively ends Shaun Livingston's career as a Clipper.

Not sure what this means, other than the Clippers have determined after years of Brunson, Parker, et al, that you can never have too many point guards. Williams hasn't been effective for a few seasons now. Last year with Miami, he shot below 40% from the field, and hasn't averaged more than two FTA/G since his second year in the league. He's an awful defender, and one of the worst rebounders in the game. But as sentient beings go, he's a better option than Smush Parker -- his turover and assist rates confirm that.

Livingston, who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Clippers after the season, recently turned down a reported one-year guaranteed deal from the team.

"At this point and time, we had to move on," Baylor said about re-signing Livingston. "Shaun is not ready to make a commitment."

Posted Wednesday, October 29 at 3:20PM

Good news!

We have launched a new ClipperBlog.com site! You are currently on our old system & are viewing an archived page. We will continue to keep all 670 posts from our first 3 years on this archive site. Soon we will be closing the comments for each of these older posts.

Comments

It's a good day in Clipperland - rock solid insurance for Baron and - FINALLY! - an end to all this Livingston drama.

Once again, thank you Elton bRANd, for being an East Coast fleeing coward - you gave us Baron and then left the premise, thus allowing us to put together a much better team that would've ever been possible had we paid your broken down ass 82 mio. dollars like the Sixers just did.

Maybe you can use your connections at the 4 letter to figure this out, or maybe you know.

Since only the Clippers can possibly have Shaun's Bird rights next year, what if they decided to employ him in a non-basketball capacity? Say, $1M to work in the marketing department for a year.

Would the league look upon that as better or worse than them just signing him now for $1M and immediately waiving him with the understanding his job is to hang around the organization, train practice etc, until next year?

Good question. I wonder if a dedicated D-League/IR assignment might enable the Clips to carve out a slot for Livingston that would preclude the cap.

I'll inquire.

UPDATE: By renouncing Shaun and withdrawing the qualifying offer, the Clips lose Livingston's Bird Rights. This prompted me to ask why the Clips renounced Shaun if his inclusion on the roster wouldn't have counted against the cap number. Answer: the qualifying offer does count on a team's balance sheet. But this also doesn't answer the question as to why the Clips can't sign Shaun to a make-good deal, then waive him (or not), then set him up in an office with a southern view all the way to PV.

We can always cut Mike Taylor if and when Livingston is healthy and willing to sign with us. White chocolate and Hart both are on 1 year contracts so its not like the log jam is ling term. Glad we are being so active this off season. If we have a great year and make the playoffs, I wonder if Elgin will be a candidate for Exec of the Year or if MD will be eligible.

i'm loving the aggressive activity this off season. even though hart and j-will are on 1 year deals, plus ricky davis having an opt out after the first year, the franchise is finally making moves to be force. i like j-will being the #2 PG off the bench. when he's healthy he can really rack up assists and some treys while BD gets some rest.
i don't believe shaun will be able to practice all out until at least mid-season, so i'm not worried about him getting scooped up by another team. but i would not thrown $1M at him. Minimum city for him. he has to prove he can hang before he gets any more dollars.
As for WillC's question about the new years eve game against philly...i will be one of the people in staples booing the hell out of elton (he doesn't deserve the 'EB' anymore) and laughing when clips wipe the floor with them.

J Williams and Marcus Camby will be in NYC as soon as Camby's mandatory 30 days in clipperland is over. Randolph and Crawford to LAC, Tim Thomas, Camby, J Will to NYK. Clippers aren't giving up on Shaun, he'll be 3rd string behind Davis and Crawford. Hart Blows he can mop sweat and pick up jocks.

@Ahjai79: Put down the crack pipe! Camby is here for at least the next 2 years, and you can keep Randolph and Crawford and their bloated contracts. But the Knicks can pick up Livingston now that he is totally done as a Clipper. He's perfect for New York - a bust.

randolph and crawford? yeah right. no way that is going down. they aren't going to deal camby, whom they got for nothing, to get another liability in randolph. they want camby's interior defense to add to kaman. And they drafted eric gordon, so they don't need to add a player that is all about trowing up every shot opportunity like a sasha with weak D.
i wonder what kind of a bargain they got for j-will. it didn't seem like any other teams were really knockin down his door to sign him.

Am I the only one, but I don't remember Jason Williams ever being good.
He can do some crazy dribbles and cool passes that end up out of bounds, but I've never really seen him help the team. I think Dunleavy would play Hart or Taylor over him anyway. Doesn't seem like a Dunleavy type player.

I don't understand what Shaun's thinking by turning down a guaranteed 1 year deal. He's still not cleared to play, so other teams aren't going to be beating down his door with better offers. Why wouldn't he want to get paid while he continues his rehab?

Livingston, who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Clippers after the season, recently turned down a reported one-year guaranteed deal from the team.
"At this point and time, we had to move on," Baylor said about re-signing Livingston. "Shaun is not ready to make a commitment."

stupid move by shaun, but i'm glad he did it. stupid because he's crazy to think another team is going to offer a player who hasn't played in over a year and has no prospected timeframe of a return a longer contract. i'm glad he didn't take it because thats money being thrown into the garbage by the clippers.

Clippers win title in 3 team trade. NYK send David Lee to Detroit, Clippers send Tim Thomas to NYK to reunite with De'Antoni, Clippers send Camby to Detroit and Detroit sends Rasheed to LAC.

Done and Done. Detroit would love those david lee and cambys expiring contract for 2010 free agent year, and Rasheed is a free agent next year so they might not get anything for him unless they strike a deal now.

So this blog answers my question on whether ANYONE in LA ever goes into a season thinking that the Clippers are going to be anything other than the laughing stock of the NBA. This ragtag group of over the hill never-were's who play NO defense whatsoever (those statements do not apply to Kaman or Camby) will be lucky if they finish higher in the standings than the Grizzlies. They wouldn't even make the playoffs in the East. Thanks for crapping all over your franchise player, those of us in Philly are ever so appreciative.

Too early to tell who's going to do what this upcoming season. The team has plenty of talent and depth now, especially at the point and in the front-court. Just need to see how the chemistry goes. Pretty sure they'll finish ahead of the Grizzlies (even if they land Josh Smith).

Will they make the playoffs? Hard to tell, especially in the West, where 40 wins isn't enough for to sneak in.

Good luck with Brand. He's 20-10 every night. The 6ers still lack a leader though...

Little off topic but what about the Clippers getting some new jersey designs.
With all the changes some new uniforms wouldn't hurt at the bottom of all the new jerseys it is written in medium bold print "The New Era"
SWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTT:::::))))))))

With regards to your 'vibe and negativity' comments, is this a forum to discuss a professional sports franchise or the next bake sale for the local girl scouts ??

Do you know how incredibly feminine you sound with your insistence/suggestion that everything always remain positive and be of the right vibe?

The Clippers are in the business of selling sports entertainment. It's not about being positive and having the right vibe from the fans. It's about them putting a competitive product on the floor that keeps our attention, and as a result our dollars flowing into their coffers.

I think this years team will be much more entertaining than last years team, but I don't know yet if its going to translate into more W's. Time will tell on that, but do yourself the favor of preserving whats remaining of your manhood and check yourself on this 'positivity and vibe' crap unless we're talking about the local tee ball league for 6 year olds

I think it is hilarious how everyone thinks they know who will make the playoffs and in what order. Did anyone learn anything last season when the tops dogs fell by the way side? The spurs are aging, the suns are aging, the nuggets have no chemistry, boozer and Okur are way over rated. The Lakers got STOMPED OUT by the Celts WHO ONLY PLAYED TOGETHER FOR ONE SEASON. The hornets were a rag tag team who finished 2nd and lets see who called that one NO ONE!!! All the people who think they know the west are full of shit and wanna be a naysayer for teams like the clips until they are in the playoffs and then some how magically they have a baron davis clipper jersey on claiming they've been down from day one. DID EVERYONE FORGET THE KG JERSEYS COMING OUT THE WOODWORK LAST SEASON IN LA? As far as I’m concerned it’s all up for grabs and I can’t wait to laugh at these posers with their in depth analysis. HEY ALL YOU LAKER FANS HOW DOES THAT SHILLELAGH FEEL IN YOUR ASS?

ACD..your child like enthusiasm is admirable, if not down right adorable. If you can't handle what I may have to say, just give yourself some earmuffs before reading my posts and move along.

Stain, to me, theres not much difference bewtween 23 wins and a handful/couple handfuls more- both will be well out of the Playoff hunt and mired in the ass end of mediocrity.

Sure its possible they get more, but its gonna mean Dunleavy allowing his guys to play the style that they're best suited to. The bulk of the roster anyway seems to be pointing towards an uptempo game- which is great in theory- but this has never happened in the history of Mike Dunleavy mind you, but moving along..they can play a half court game as well, so there is some balance and flexibility there, if used properly. The Clips have an extremely interesting roster on paper, so its up to the dunce to get these guys on the same page and producing results.

Time will tell on this, and am as curious to see as anyone.. but keep in mind that if history is any indication to what is most likely to become in the future, then. . . (ya I'm not holding my breath either..)

^^^ I believe to a strong degree MD has to keep his defensive grip on this team.

What won a championship last year DEFENSE, What do the lakers and Kobe fear most STRONG INSIDE DEFENSE, and what wins playoff games DEFENSE.

Up-Tempo, is a strong technique and at time can be contributed by strong defense, but it should be a secondary at best. It only takes a few players to help install a defense along with the coach tomake a serious overall effort. Example KG/Riversell it and have the stars and vets buy it and the effcts will spread.

MD sell it to Davis and Camby (Camby will bite might be a little harder for Davis)and the rest of the team will follow suit once the chemistry is established. Problem with Camby in his old team is George Karl is not a defense minded coach so it never really mattered what Camby did.

All I'm saying it is good to know the up-tempo style, but it is better to know the defense force.

looks like this signing might pull a big trade, looks like mobley/hart/thomas and 7th pick gordon will be traded for vince carter. novak will replace what thomas can do. and davis will swithch sg or sf/

The Clipper best chance is to play dirty. J Will, Rickey Davis, B Davis can in the guard position. Kamen and Camby can be taught a little. But if they get a big PF than can bang people up, they'd have an advantage. If Dunleavy could tell them to play tough/ border line dirty, they could get some wins.

The Baron Davis led Warriors won 48 games last year and missed the playoffs by a hair.

The new look Clippers with Baron are easily better and much more balanced than said Warrior team. Can you imagine what kind of damage the Ws would've been able to do with a front court of Camby and Kaman instead of a stick like Biedrins?!

Your comments about the Clippers winning 'a couple more games' compared to last year are totally absurd. For this team to only win 25, 26 games Baron, Camby and Kaman would all have to miss practically the entire season. Even without those 3 guys the new squad is better than what we had on the court last year.

Actually, I think Carter has four more years on his deal. He just signed an extension at the end of last year (or was it the year before?), hardly a rental. NJ peeps say he played hurt all year and is now healthy. With Baron he's not the first option again, but second? I'd take him for an unproven/undersized Gordon/Mobley/Thomas without any hesitation.

Thorton, Carter, Camby, Kaman, BDavis your starting five?

Oh, yeah.

Still, probably only a dream.

As for a win total. Seriously, .500 is expected. Anything else is gravy with the current roster.

You are right about Carter - he is (newly) signed through 2011/12 if the Nets pick up their team option. He'll be 35 by then. No way in hell do I want to pay Vince Carter 17, 18 mio. bucks at that age. No way do I want to ruin our cap in view of 2010 for someone like Carter who has proven over and over again that he essentially doesn't give a crap.

Stain, I said a couple handfuls not a couple games. Handful = 5 and two of those is 10 games. Anyways, my point was that its all relative, and if the Clips can't win at least 45, they aren't in the Playoff picture in the West. And ya, am having a hard time seeing how Dunleavy will be able to take this rag-tag group above that thresh-hold. I'd put the Clipper koolaid if I were you, Stain

WE SHOULDA SIGN JOSH SMITH INSTEAD..IMAGINE THIS STARTING LINE UP IF WE HAD SIGN JOSH SMITH.. BARRON DAVIS,RICKY DAVIS,CAMBY, JOSH SMITH AND KAMAN...WE WOULDA BEEN A RUN N GUN TEAM JUST LIKE THE SUNS..